Small-biz law firm sees opportunity in bitcoin

As the growing bitcoin economy attracts increasing attention from regulators, it's probably fitting that one of the latest businesses to begin accepting the digital currency is a law firm.

Law 4 Small Business

, or L4SB -- whose slogan is, "A little law now can save a lot later" -- is an "internet-savvy, high-tech law firm and law practice," said attorney Laurence S. Donahue, who founded the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based firm. Because of that, he said, "accepting and honoring bitcoin adds credibility to that claim."

Bitcoin," Donahue said, is "not for the faint of heart, as its value fluctuates greatly and there is quite a bit of disinformation on its susceptibility to hacker attacks and manipulation." However, his firm believes the currency "represents the future of commerce."

Until the bitcoin economy matures, though, L4SB foresees "upswings, downswings, and rapid changes in commerce and financial laws, as our centralized systems adjust." For example, it points to recent guidance from the US government's recent Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which applies anti-money-laundering and other requirements to bitcoin exchanges and other bitcoin businesses.